Web guiding apparatus



Mardi 16, 1954 Q A, HQGAN WEB GUIDING APPARATUS 3 vSheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 6, 1951 INVENTOR.

NH n H N R O A ,T T MA U A .L C V. B L

March 16, 1954 c. A. HOGAN WEBYGUIDING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 6, 1951 INVENTOR. CLAUDE A. HOGAN ATTORNEY March 16, 1954 c. A. HOGAN 2,672,300

WEB GUIDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 6, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 e /er FIG. 5

. INVENTOR. CLAUDE A. HOGAN ATTRNEY Patented Mar. 16, 1954 2,672,300 WEB GUIDIN G APPARATUS Claude A. Hogan,

Cedartown, mesne assignments, to The Ga., assignor, by Goodyear Tire &

Rubber Company, a corporation of Ohio Application September 6, 1951,

2 Claims.

'I'he present invention relates to an improved apparatus for producing a, generally cylindrical web package. More particularly, the invention pertains to a means for unwinding a web, fabric, lm, or the like of uniform lateral dimension and of substantially continuous length from a packwound.

In conventional fabric mill operations, for instance, it is frequently necessary to unwind and subsequently rewind the fabric rolls as they come from the looms on which they are It is necessary to remove the fabric completely from its original package in order to run it over an inspection table, after which it must be rewound substantially in the form of the original package. After inspection and repair, the fabric is customarily unwound again, passed through a brusher to remove loose threads,

fibers, and other extraneous material which the The apparatus of the present invention is particularly advantageously adapted to produce this desired result. The term webf as employed shape and free from offsetting or shifting in a direction parallel to the axis of the cylinder or the lateral dimension of the web.

'It is a further object of the vpresent invention to provide a web packaging apparatus having all of the above-mentioned attributes and being ca- Serial N o. 245,399

pable of use in combination with either conventional inspection equipment or brusher apparatus or the like.

Other important objects and advantages will become apparent as the following description of one form of web packaging apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention proceeds.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 represents a plan view of a web packaging apparatus with parts broken away and portions thereof shown diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the web packaging apparatus with parts in section and at a somewhat larger scale. Fig. 3 is a partial elevation of the apparatus of Fig. l as seen from the line 3-3 therein at a scale corresponding to that of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the apparatus as seen from the line 4 4 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken along the line 5 5 in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the reference numeral I identies the web packaging apparatus The web from the supply package 2 to the wind-up packconventional equipment such, for example, as the brusher unit 5.

the web 4 is transferred from a supply package 3 to a wind-up package 4, the edge 6 or 1 is frequently caused to shift in an axial direction as the wind-up package is built up. As a result of this lateral shifting or axial offsetting, as it is sometimes referred to, the wind-up package 3 will not be truly cylindrical in shape. Oftentime the ends of the package will project or indent from the endsl of the support upon which they are wound to an extent such that they are very diflicult to process in subsequent handling. Y

The supply package 2, as it comes from, the loom or yother fabricating apparatus upon which it is formed or through which it has previously been passed, is customarily supported upon a wooden core 8. This wooden core 8 is provided with a removable shaft 9 which extends axially of the wooden core. The supply package 2, with its wooden core 8 and shaft 9, is transported on a dolly (not shown) and shifted in a manner tacts the feeler 3 hereinafter described to the carriage I of the web packaging apparatus I.

The carriage I@ embodies a frame structure II which comprises a pair of lower channel members I2 to the inner surface of which a number of vertical supports I3 are secured as by welding. The vertical supports I3 carry at their uppermost ends a pair of cross members or I-beams I4fwhich are disposed in generally parallel relation to the lower channel members l2. The provided with portions projecting at one end thereof somewhat beyong the over-all width of the carriage I0 for the purpose of facilitating the transfer of the supply package 2f froml its dolly to its eventual portion in the carriage.

Each of the I-beams I4 is provided with a cradle I5 for the reception of the bearing portion I6 of the shaft 9 which supports the wooden. core 8 on which the supply package 2' is wound. The channel members I2 are mounted on rollers I'I carried in the brackets IS which are secured to the channel members. The rollers I'I render the carriage IQ capable of shiftablel movement in a direction generally parallel to the lateral dimension of the web l of the axis of the supply package 2 as it is supported between the cradles l5 on the I-beams I4. The rollers Il are mounted in the tracks or guides I3 which serve to insure that the carriage' Il! will move only in the desired direction.

Between the rollers IT and extending transversely of the channel members I2 in the carriage IIJ are the transverse members 2@ which may take the forml of I-beams. rihese transverse members 2t are suspended below the channel members i2 as by means of the attaching members 2 I. The transverse'members 20 serve to provide a rigid support for the ends of the carriage I0, eachl of which comprises one of the cross members I4, one of the channel members I2, and a pair of the vertical supports I3.

An end of the web 4 is withdrawn from the supply package 2 and is passed over a series of guide bars 22, 23, and 24 which are mounted in the support bracket 25 secured to the wall of the brusher unit 5. These guide bars 22', 23, and 24 serve to introduce a slight tension in the web 4 and maintain the proper widthwise relation of the edges 6 and 'l of the-web 4 preparatory to its entering the brusher unit 5. The web 4 is next passed around the roll 23 rotatably supported on thebrusher unit 5 asv by means of a pair of bearing mountings 21.

After passing through the brusher unit 5, the web 4 is passed to the wind-up unit identified generally by the reference numeral 28. The supporting of the wind-up package 3 in the wind-up unit 28 is accomplished in much the same manner as that previously described in connection withthe carriage I. The wooden core 2S is provided for the building up of the wind-up package 3 and is supported by a shaft 3Q cradled in a pair of stationary vertical supports 3l. The wind-up package 3 is positively rotated by a suitable drive mechanism 32 or other convenient source of power associated with the unit through which the web 4 is passed in its path of travel from the supply package 2 to the wind-up package 3.

As the web 4 passes between age 2 and the wind-up package 3, its edge e conelement 33 (see Fig. 4). The feeler element 33 has a guide portion 34 of notched or V-shaped form for the reception therein of the edge 6 of the web 4. The feeler the supply pack- I-beams `I 4 are` .11S connected by the chain element 33 forms a part of the mercury switch 35 and serves to actuate the switch whenever the edge 6 of the fabric web 4 shifts laterally, pei'- mitting the feeler element in contact therewith to move about its pivotal mounting. The mercury switch 35 is supported by means of the bracket 35 aflixed to the brusher unit 5 so that the feeler element 33 thereof will be in constant contact with the edge E of the traveling web 4.

The mercury switch 3E, under the action initiated by the feeler element controls the operation of a prime mover or motor 3l. rhe motor 31 is equipped with a drive shaft 33 supported at its outermost end in a bearing mounting 33., The worm gear lil on the drive shaft 38 meshes with the gear 4I which is secured to a stub shaft? 42. The gear 4I drives the stub shaft 42 and in turn actuates the sprocket 43 keyed to the stub shaft as by means of the feather 44. The entire gearing arrangement just described is enclosed in a suitable cover 45.

The sprocket e3 serves to drive a sprocket 46 mounted on: a suitable bearing mounting 4l secured to the floor between the guides i9 in the manner shown in Fig. 2. This driving relationship is accomplished by means of the chain 43. In order to effect lateral shifting of the carriage IG- in the guides I9, one of the links e9 of the chain 43 is secured to the web portion 5S of one of the transverse members 29 as by means of a bolt 5I secured thereto as by means of the nut 52, all of which is illustrated in greater detail in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

In order to prevent overrunning of the motor 31 whenever the current which energizes it is cut on as, for example, by the actuation of the mercury switch 35 to a neutral position, the motor brake 53l is provided for the purpose of stopping the rotation of the drive shaft 23. When the motor brake 53 is operated, it prevents the shaft 38 from rotating and insures a quick stoppage of the actuation of the gear 4I and the chain and sprocket drive embodying the sprockets 43 and 48. Other similar precautions and safety features may be incorporated to control the apparatus. All such devices may be of conventional design and thus form no part of the present invention.

A pair of cam elements 54 and 55 are mounted on one of they guides I9 as shown in Fig. of the drawings. These cam elements 54 and 55 serve to prevent overtravel by limiting the shiftable movement of the carriage II) over a relatively short distance equal t0 the spacing provided between the said cam elements. A pair cf limit switches 56 and 51- are suitably mounted upon a bracket 58 supported by the flange portion of that one of the transverse members 2i! which is adjacent the positions of the cam elements $4 and 55. The limit switches 53 and 5l have trip levers 53 and 30, respectively, which are so positioned that they will be flipped upon contact with the cam element 54' or 55, as the case may be, depending upon which end of the guides i9 the'carriage i0 is approaching in its lateral movement. The actuation of either of the limit switches 56 and 51 will effectively deenergize the entire apparatus so as to provide a factor of safety in its operation.

As the supply package 2 diminishes in its circumference to a point where the end of the web 4 thereon will pass through the brusher unit 5,

'it is desirable to halt the further operation of the web packaging apparatus I and thereafter to control its operation manually. This is accomfacvagsoo plishedby meansofan assembly identified generally by the reference 'numeral 6I. A

The assembly 6I embodies a lever arm62 which extends vertically and substantially perpendicular to the transverse members 20. A roller63 secured to the uppermost end of the assembly 6I by means of the pin 64 and the nut 65 contacts the outer periphery of the supply package 2 as it is rotated by the removal of the web 4 therefrom. The lever arm 62 has a boss 66 at its lowermost end through which a pin 51 extends for securing the lever arm in the desired relationship with respect to the axis of the horizontally disposed shaft of the assembly 6I.

The shaft 68 is supported in a position projectlng outwardly from the channel member I2 at one end of the carriage I as by means of the brackets '59, 10, and II in Such fashion that it will rotate about its longitudinal axis. Bracket v|39 is supported by one of the transverse members 20, while the brackets 10 and 1'I are secured to the channel member I A handle 12 is provided at the end of the shaft B8 opposite that to which the lever arm 62 is secure Y The handle 'I2 facilitates the manual operation and control of the web packaging apparatus I after the supply package 2 has diminished to a predetermined minimum size in a manner to be described inv greater detail hereinafter. In addition, the handle 12 which is secured to the shaft of in a collar "I which is keyed to the shaft and at the other in the collar portion 'I6 of the support 69 also servesthe same purpose.

A second collar member 11 is secured to the shaft 68 intermediate the collar I5 and the handle 72. 'Ihis collar member 11 has a finger 'I8 projecting downwardly therefrom. The finger 'I8 is adapted to contact the trip lever 19 forming part of a microswitch 80 which is mounted on one of the upwardly projecting flanges of one of the channel members I2. Thus, as the lever arm 62 of the assembly 6I moves in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 of the drawings with the diminution of the supply package 2, it will cause the shaft 68 to rotate. As the shaft 68 rotates, simultaneously causing the rotation of the collar member 11, the finger 18 in contact with the trip lever 19 of the switch 80 will eventually release the trip lever.

When this occurs, the switch 80 breaks the circuit controlling the drive mechanism 32 operating the wind-up unit 28 of the web packaging apparatus. It is thereafter necessary to control the operation of the drive mechanism 32 by the manual shifting of the handle 12 in such fashion that the switch 8U will again be closed. Thus it is possible to halt the unwinding of the supply package 2 at a predetermined point in the operations in order that the end of the web 4 may be exposed outside the brusher unit 5 and to enable a new supply package 2 to be put in place with its free end attached to the end of the web 4 of the depleted supply package. This feature obviates the necessity of threading up all of the rolls in the'brusher unit 5 when the supply package 2 runs out.

In the operation of the web packaging apparatus I, a supply package 2 is installed in the carriage I0 supported by the wooden core 8 and the shaft 9. The free end of the web 4 from the supply package 2 must then be threaded into the intermediate unit such, for example, as the brusher unit 5.. This may be accomplished, as indicated above, by temporarily attaching the tailend of the previously treated web 4 to the free end of the web from the new supply package 2 and manuallystarting the web packaging apparatus I.

One of thefirst steps to be performed is to position the roller 63 in contact with the outer periphery of thev supply package 2. This reestablishes the operating circuit for the web packaging apparatus I by closing` the switch and repositioning the'shaft B8 and the handle 12 in the relationship illustrated in Fig. 2. With the web packaging apparatus I supplied with the fabric web 4 and the brusher unit 5 completely threaded up, it is ready to operate.

The push button switch 8| in the operating circuit of the web packaging apparatus I is then operated holding a circuit closed through the contacts 82 across'the'power lines 83 and 84 of a three wire power source embodying the additional power line 85. This energizes the motor coil 86 which in turn energizes the drive mechanism 32 of the wind-up unit 28, thereby causing the fabric web 4 to be unreeled from the supply package 2, passed through the brusher unit 5, and wound up on the Wind-up package 3. At the same time. since the switch 80 is temporarily closed, a circuit proper time.

From the above explanation of the operation of the roller 63 and the shaft 38, it will be apparent that as the removal of the web 4 from the supply package 2 causes the latter to diminish in size, the switch 88 will be opened. At this point, the contacts 82 will return to their normally open position and the circuit through the motor coil86 will be broken, thus halting the drive mechanism 32 of the wind-up 25. As previously explained, the manipulation of the handle 'I2 and the manual operation of the push button 8I thereafter serves to control the run-out of the supply package 2 to enable a new package to be inserted as before without complete rethreading of the brusher unit 5.

While the web 4 is traveling from the supply package 2 to the Wind-up package 3, the guide portion 34 on the feeler element 33 of the mercury switch 35 maintains a constant contact with the edge 6 of the web. As the edge 6 of the web 4 shifts from side to side due to the uneven ends of the supply package 2 being unwound, the guide portion 34 of the feeler element 33 follows. 'Ihis action shifts the mercury tube (not shown) inside the mercury switch to one of three positions, namely, neutral or no contact, contact left, or

As long as the web 4 is running true and there is no offsetting of the edges G and 1 in the supply package, the motor 31 is idle and the carriage I8 remains stationary. Whenever the tube in the mercury switch is tilted so as to make contact left, for example, it is apparent that the web is laterally offset to the right and a circuit is completed through the limit switch 56, thereby operated by the contactv of the cam element ;4 with the. trip lever 5S..

This energization of the coil 8] results in the closingof the normally open contacts. BB, te, and 9&1, thereby completing the three wire circuit to the motor 31 from the power lines 83, B4, With the closing of' the motor circuit, the brake 5.3 is energized and re yeased to. free the rotation of the shaft 38. The rotation of the shaft 3'8 and the chain 48- and the sprockets 43 and t5 in the manner above described will cause the carriage lil to move toward the left in the guides I9.

The carriage Ill will remain shifted to the left until the oiset edge 6 of the web il starts the drive mecha "sm to return the carriage to- Ward its neutral position or beyond by reversing the motor 3T. The lateral offsetting of the web A in the other directionl is automatically compensated for in the same fashion, the only' diiference being in the direction of travel oi the carriage. For the reverse operation, the tilting of the mercury switch 35'. to make contact right, as for the offsetting of the Webto the left, the several normaliy open contacts 9i, 92, 93 will be closedby virtue of the energization ofi the coil @Itv completing the three wire circuit to the reversible motor 31' which, by reason of the reversing feature, will shift the carriage to the right.

While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will he apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope oi vthe invention.

I claim:

1. In a web packaging apparatus, a web let-ofi and wind-up mechanism forpreventing axial osetting of the web as the package is formed thereon, said mechanism comprising a supply providing a web of substantially continuous length and of uniform lateral dimension; a Wind-up for the web; a carriage supporting the web supply; a guide defining; a path of travel of the carriage in a direction generally normal to the longitudinal dimension of the web; a drive mechanism for shifting the carriage in the guide; a prime mover for actuating the drive mechaeisen afecten element ult-eed. against the edge of that portion of the, web extending between the web supply andthe wind-up.; a malienne-break contact operated by the f eeler element for energizing the prime mover; means defining the extremities ofthe path of travel of the carriage and deenergizing the prime mover whenever the carriage approacheseither oi said extremities; and means halting the operation of the wind-up when the web supply diminishes to, a predetermined minimum but before the supply has run out.

2. n a Web packaging apparatua a web let-oli and wind-up mechanism for preventing axial osettingof the web, as the package is formed thereon, said mechanism comprising a supply providing a web of Substantially continuous length and o uniorm lateral dimension; a

wind-up for the web; a carriage supporting the web supply; a guide defining a path of travel of the carriage in al direction generally normal to the longitudinal dimension oi the web; a drive mechanism for shifting the carriage in the guide; a prime mover for actuating the drive mechanism; a feeler element urged against the edge ci that portion of the Web extending between the web supply and the Wind-up; a malte-andbreak contact operatedby the feeler element for energizing the prime mover; a pair of cam surfaces arranged in spaced relation on the guide and defining the extremities of the path of travel of the carriage; means on the carriage actuated by the cam surfaces ior deenergizing the prime mover Whenever the carriage approaches either extremity; and means actuated by the web supply to halt the operation of the wind-up when the web supply diminishes to a predetermined minimum but before the supply has run out.

CLAUDE A. HOGAN.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

